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French Yellow Vest Figure on Trial, New Protests Planned


Yellow vest protester, Jerome Rodrigues, left, walks out of the Court as Eric Drouet, a prominent and divisive figure of the yellow vest movement, went on trial for organizing an unauthorized demonstration, in Paris, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019.
Yellow vest protester, Jerome Rodrigues, left, walks out of the Court as Eric Drouet, a prominent and divisive figure of the yellow vest movement, went on trial for organizing an unauthorized demonstration, in Paris, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019.

A prominent figure of the French yellow vests has gone on trial in Paris for allegedly organizing illegal demonstrations, as the movement prepares for a 14th consecutive weekend of protests.

Eric Drouet, a prominent and divisive figure of the yellow vest movement, walks out of the Court after his trial for organizing an unauthorized demonstration, in Paris, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019.
Eric Drouet, a prominent and divisive figure of the yellow vest movement, walks out of the Court after his trial for organizing an unauthorized demonstration, in Paris, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019.

Eric Drouet was arrested for organizing demonstrations on Dec. 22 and Jan. 2 in Paris without declaring them to authorities.

He acknowledged he didn’t follow the rule, saying Friday he doesn’t consider himself a protest organizer.

The Paris prosecutor requested a 500-euro ($563) fine and a one-month suspended prison sentence. The court’s decision will be announced on March 29.

Drouet is a known figure of the movement, repeatedly calling for demonstrations on social media.

Yellow vest protesters are planning new protests on Saturday and Sunday in Paris and other cities to denounce French President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies.

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